1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to supports, brackets, and the like for supporting, holding, or suspending articles thereby, and more specifically to a vehicle anchored support in which a portion of the support is anchored beneath the tire of a vehicle (car, truck, trailer, etc.). The support includes a base with a column extending generally upwardly therefrom, with the column being used to support or suspend various articles therefrom, for the convenience and use of the vehicle operator and/or users.
2. Description of the Related Art
Numerous accessories have been developed for use with automobiles and other motor vehicles over the years, practically since the development of the earliest such motor vehicles. Attachments ranging from luggage and ski racks, pickup truck bed racks, camper shells, motor home and trailer awnings, etc., are well known in the motor vehicle art. While each of the above articles can be of great utility to a user thereof, they nevertheless in each case require some modification or attachment to the vehicle, thus affecting the utility of the vehicle for other purposes.
An example of the above is the roof mounted luggage rack, which requires modification of the vehicle for permanently installed units, and which affects the vertical clearance of the vehicle, particularly in the case of taller vans and the like. While such roof racks undeniably increase the capabilities of the vehicle in certain respects, they are nevertheless limited in their function. The very aspect of their roof mounting, means that they cannot be used to anchor or support other articles lower than the roof of the vehicle, without additional attachments thereto.
While camper shells and trailers provide additional carriage and storage capacity for vehicles to which they are attached, they also require modification of the vehicle for installation thereto, at least by installing a trailer hitch on the vehicle. In any event, such accessories cannot be added to all vehicles, due to the vehicle configuration, towing capacity, etc.
It will be noted that in each of the above cases, the various accessories described, mount directly to the vehicle (e.g., trailer hitch) and are not supported, anchored, or attached in any other way. Those who camp with their vehicles, or use them in support of their work for performing various jobs at remote sites, must not only carry the various articles and accessories required, but must also carry the support means required for those articles. Thus, a camper who wishes to have shade, must not only carry the parasol or umbrella, but must also carry appropriate anchor means for the device. If other accessories are desired (e.g., hammock, table, etc.), then additional supports must be carried for these articles.
In each of the above cases, the various accessories are either supported by direct attachment to the vehicle itself, or by means of a completely separate stand, support, etc., which is driven into or supported on the ground, separate from the vehicle. Accordingly, a need will be seen for a vehicle supported anchor which uses the weight of a vehicle to capture or sandwich an anchor plate between a vehicle tire and the underlying surface while the vehicle is parked. The base component from which the anchor plate extends, provides for the attachment (either permanent or removable) of a support column thereto, with the column providing for the support of various articles therefrom. A discussion of the related art of which the present inventor is aware, and its differences and distinctions from the present invention, is provided below.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,441,109 issued on May 4, 1948 to Ernest J. Carlson, titled "Spiral Stake," describes a ground anchor for an umbrella or the like wherein the anchor has a screw thread which is penetratingly screwed into the ground. The disclosure includes means for adjusting the angle of a support column extending upwardly from the base or stake. While the present invention may be used to support an umbrella or the like, and may include angular adjustment means, it differs in that Carlson does not disclose any means of securing his stake by the weight of a vehicle. In fact, the Carlson stake teaches away from such means, due to the relatively sharp stake which would be inappropriate to place beneath the tire of a vehicle, as in the present invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,591,126 issued on May 27, 1986 to Sheldon Berney, titled "Base For Supporting An Upright Post Of A Garden Umbrella Or The Like," describes a hollow container having a central receptacle therein, for the insertion of a post or the like therein. The container is filled with liquid to provide sufficient mass to anchor the post or column suitably, particularly against wind loads often encountered by umbrellas and parasols. However, the relatively small base portion cannot possibly hold a sufficient amount of ballast to approach the security of the present anchor when a vehicle tire is resting thereon. Also, the central location of the receptacle, as well as the height and thickness of the device, render it unsuitable for use beneath a vehicle tire, as provided by the structure of the present invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,169,111 issued on Dec. 8, 1992 to Raymond C. Dunaj, titled "Collapsible Stand For Shade Umbrellas," describes a collapsible bag for holding sand or other ballast, surrounding a sleeve through which the base of an umbrella stake is inserted. The device is more closely related to the device described in the Berney '126 U.S. Patent, than to the present device, and is completely unsuitable for being anchored beneath the tire of a vehicle, as provided by the present invention. Moreover, while the present invention provides for anchoring an umbrella therein, it will be seen in the present disclosure, that the present device is far more versatile and may be used to anchor or support various articles other than umbrellas, either singly or simultaneously as desired.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,207,406 issued on May 4, 1993 to Janice M. Stine et al., titled "Umbrella Stand," describes a base comprising a container which may be filled with ballast to serve as an anchor for an umbrella or the like. The base includes a pair of receptacles which provide for alternate generally vertical or angular mounting of an umbrella shaft or column therein. Accordingly, the Stine et al. device is more closely related to the ballasted supports of the Berney and Dunaj U.S. Patents discussed above, than to the present invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,354,031 issued on Oct. 11, 1994 to Alfred J. Bilotti, titled "Low-Profile Umbrella Base," describes a relatively wide and low base which is filled with sand, concrete or the like, with a central receptacle for holding an umbrella. Again, the present invention is not limited to use in holding umbrellas, and is configured to be anchored by the weight of a vehicle resting upon a plate extending therefrom, rather than by other ballast, as in the Bilotti device.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,588,630 issued on Dec. 31, 1996 to Huang Chen-Chao, titled "Adjustable Base To Hold Flag Banners," describes an angularly adjustable base having cooperating radially serrated components to lock the desired angle. The bottom portion includes holes for attachment bolts. No extending base or flange is provided for placement beneath a vehicle tire for anchoring the assembly, as provided by the present invention, and the radially serrated locking means is not sufficiently secure for the purposes of the present invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,685,517 issued on Nov. 11, 1997 to Joseph Salibra, titled "Stand For Removably Mounting Pole Supported Furniture To A Deck," describes a base which is secured to a deck by a pair of eye bolts passing through the gaps in the deck boards to extend through a pair of holes in the base. The round ends of the eye bolts are positioned beneath the deck boards, with the deck boards being sandwiched between the eye ends of the bolts and the base of the stand. No means is described for removably securing the device beneath a vehicle tire, to anchor the device in place.
French Patent Publication No. 649,380 published on Dec. 21, 1928 illustrates a spike which may be secured in the ground to anchor an angularly adjustable umbrella or the like. The device teaches away from the present invention in the manner of the stake disclosed in the Carlson '109 U.S. Patent, in that a sharp object would not be placed beneath a vehicle tire for anchorage.
German Patent Publication No. 548,005 published on Apr. 11, 1932 illustrates a spiked umbrella anchor with a telescoping column. As noted above in the discussion of the Carlson U.S. Patent and French '380 Patent Publication, such a sharp anchor would not be suitable for placement beneath a vehicle tire.
Finally, French Patent Publication No. 815,768 published on Jul. 22, 1937 illustrates a four legged, angularly adjustable column. No means of anchoring the base of the column beneath another article, particularly a vehicle tire, is apparent.
None of the above inventions and patents, either singly or in combination, is seen to describe the instant invention as claimed.